Touchstones of Tradition: Insights From The Material Culture of Miccosukee and Seminole People

Five scholars of Seminole/Miccosukee Indian culture provide topical papers based on objects curated in the Florida Museum of Natural History's ethnographic collections. In a sixth and final chapter, the volume editor provides a factual summary of 100 years of contacts and collaborations between the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Native American tribes of South Florida - the Seminole and Miccosukee.
In Chapter 1, Sandra Starr contributes a history of turban-wearing among Natives of South, Middle, and North America, culminating in the practice of turban-wearing among 18th, 19th, and 20th-century Creeks, Seminoles, and Miccosukees. In Chapter 2, Brent Weisman presents a detailed study of the clothing worn by a Seminole warrior killed in battle in 1857. In Chapter 3, Stacey Huber describes and compares two rare Seminole "long coats" from the 1820s-1840s, then places them in context with other such garments in the collections of other museums. In Chapter 4, Patsy West describes and contextualizes the development of Miccosukee/Seminole arts through the craft guild operated by Edith Boehmer and the Glade Cross Mission directed by Deaconess Harriet Bedell. In Chapter 5, Austin Bell provides historical background and a classification of the iconic and beloved Seminole/Miccosukee dolls that were first made to supplement income at "tourist camps" operated by Seminoles and Miccosukees in the early 20th century. Chapter 6 by volume editor William Marquardt serves as an Epilogue, highlighting 100 years of involvement and collaboration between the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Native American tribes of South Florida. All chapters are richly illustrated with black-and-white and color images.